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The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, hit the home stretch last Saturday with the 10th round of the 2014 season from legendary Unadilla. The Red Bull Unadilla National is known for being one of the toughest tests on the schedule and after a pair of motos in both the 450 and 250 Classes, two previous winners at the track returned to the top of the podium – Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey and Valli Motorsports Yamaha’s Christophe Pourcel. Dungey was challenged on his path to victory, while Pourcel was no doubt the class of the 250cc field.
Through partnerships with series sponsors, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will recognize the riders who achieve the series’ specialty awards all summer long. Each week, MX Sports Pro Racing will recognize the riders who are able to lay claim to the Oakley Bomb Fastest Lap Program, the MotoSport.com Holeshot Award in each moto, and the Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award throughout the 2014 season.
The Oakley Bomb Fastest Lap Program is designed to present a unique challenge for the 2014 season, providing a different twist by recognizing the rider who sets the fastest lap of practice in both the 250 and 450 Classes. Each rider will receive special Oakley Bomb trophy, specially designed by the brand.As the season wears on, the total number of Oakley Bomb awards a rider receives will be tallied into a final season total. The competitor with the most awards at season’s end will be presented with an Elite Oakley Time Bomb II Swiss Automatic Watch.
Trey Canard earned his second Oakley Bomb Award of the season at Unadilla with the fastest lap of the timed qualifying sessions. (Photo) Matt Rice
In the 450 Class, Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard earned his second Oakley Bomb Award of the season on a day in which he was able to break through for the first moto win of his career. Canard posted a time of 2:14.313 to put nearly a second between he and second place, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac.
Pourcel’s dominant afternoon began after he earned his eighth Oakley Bomb Award in 10 rounds. The Frenchman already locked in the Elite Oakley Time Bomb II Swiss Automatic Watch by setting the most fast laps this season, and that trend continued with a 2:14.349, edging out Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin by just a tenth of a second.
Christophe Pourcel earned his eighth Oakley Bomb of the season at Unadilla. (Photo) Matt Rice
Pourcel carried the momentum right into the motos, where he continued to prove he’s also the most formidable starter in the 250 Class.
The Motosport.com Holeshot Award is brand new to Lucas Oil Pro Motocross this season and it awards $500 to the rider who gets the holeshot of each moto – in both the 450 Class and 250 Class – at every round of the 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. A total of $2,000 will be up for grabs at each event between the two classes, thanks to Motosport.com.
Christophe Pourcel (377) swept both MotoSport.com Holeshot Awards en route to his first overall win of the season. (Photo) Simon Cudby / Racer X
Pourcel had swept the Motosport.com Holeshot Awards for the past two rounds leading into Unadilla and he was able to duplicate that effort for a third time, putting his Yamaha at the front of the field each time the gate dropped. He now has a six-moto holeshot streak and has collected $3,000 in prize money over that span. In total, Pourcel boasts a series-leading nine holeshots in 2014. At Unadilla, those stellar starts ultimately proved to be the defining factor in his winning effort, going 1-2 on the afternoon.
The 450 Class was also a showcase for Yamaha. Much like Pourcel, Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX’s Justin Brayton has been impressive with his starting abilities of late and went on to sweep the Motosport.com Holeshot Awards for the second straight round at Unadilla, to give him four straight and $2,000 of bonus money. Brayton parlayed those starts into his best outing of the season, finishing fifth overall after 6-7 moto results. Brayton now has five holeshots since returning to action from an injury.
Toyota/JGRMX/Yamaha’s Justin Brayton (10) and Phil Nicoletti (38) have been impressive with their starting abilities this season. (Photo) Simon Cudby / Racer X
The RC Hard Charger Award is entering its sixth season in 2014. Named after Ricky Carmichael, the most winning motocross rider of all time, the award recognizes the one competitor at each of the 12 rounds of the championship who overtakes the highest number of his fellow racers in any of the four championship motos between the 250 and 450 Classes.The award is a testament to “The Greatest of All Time” or “The GOAT” and his never-give-up attitude over the span of a career that warranted 10 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross titles and 102 wins – two feats that will likely never be duplicated. All recipients of the RC Hard Charger Award are given a custom-designed trophy.
The truly challenging conditions at Unadilla ultimately means making passes is also a lot more challenging, so a good start is paramount. On Saturday, one rider in the 450 Class and another in the 250 Class proved they had the ability to fight their way forward. In the 450 Class privateer Cade Clason rode his Gurrnaid Energy/AG Motorsports Honda through the pack, battling his way from a 39th-place start to pass 17 riders and finish 22nd. In the 250 Class, recent amateur graduate Luke Renzland fought for a pair of finishes in the points in his pro debut for Cycle Trader/Rock River Yamaha. Renzland proved his resiliency in his very first pro moto, overcoming a 35th-place start to also pass 17 riders and finish 18th.
In his pro debut, Luke Renzland overcame a first turn crash to pass 17 riders en route to his first RC Hard Charger Award. (Photo) Simon Cudby / Racer X
2014 Specialty Award Winners
Oakley Fastest Lap Program
450 Class
Glen Helen – Ryan Dungey Hangtown – Ken Roczen Thunder Valley – Trey Canard High Point – Ken Roczen Muddy Creek – Eli Tomac Red Bud – Ken Roczen Budds Creek – James Stewart Spring Creek – Ken Roczen Washougal – Ryan Dungey Unadilla – Trey Canard
250 Class
Glen Helen – Christophe Pourcel Hangtown – Christophe Pourcel Thunder Valley – Christophe Pourcel High Point – Jeremy Martin Muddy Creek – Christophe Pourcel Red Bud – Christophe Pourcel Budds Creek – Christophe Pourcel Spring Creek – Christophe Pourcel Washougal – Marvin Musquin Unadilla – Christophe Pourcel
Motosport.com Holeshot Award
450 Class
Glen Helen Moto 1 – Josh Grant Moto 2 – Ken Roczen
Hangtown Moto 1 – Ryan Dungey Moto 2 – Jake Weimer
Thunder Valley Moto 1 – Josh Grant Moto 2 – Trey Canard
High Point Moto 1 – Chad Reed Moto 2 – Chad Reed
Muddy Creek Moto 1 – Eli Tomac Moto 2 – Ryan Dungey
Red Bud Moto 1 – Ryan Dungey Moto 2 – Ken Roczen
Budds Creek Moto 1 – Justin Brayton Moto 2 – Ryan Dungey
Spring Creek Moto 1 – Ryan Dungey Moto 2 – Eli Tomac
Washougal Moto 1 – Justin Brayton Moto 2 – Justin Brayton
Unadilla Moto 1 – Justin Brayton Moto 2 – Justin Brayton
250 Class
Glen Helen Moto 1 – Jeremy Martin Moto 2 – Jeremy Martin
Hangtown Moto 1 – Zach Bell Moto 2 – Jeremy Martin
Thunder Valley Moto 1 – Jessy Nelson Moto 2 – Zach Bell
High Point Moto 1 – Christophe Pourcel Moto 2 – Christophe Pourcel
Muddy Creek Moto 1 – Christophe Pourcel Moto 2 – Justin Bogle
Red Bud Moto 1 – Matt Biscegila Moto 2 – Joey Savatgy
Budds Creek Moto 1 – Justin Bogle Moto 2 – Jeremy Martin
Spring Creek Moto 1 – Christophe Pourcel Moto 2 – Christophe Pourcel
Washougal Moto 1 – Christophe Pourcel Moto 2 – Christophe Pourcel
Unadilla Moto 1 – Christophe Pourcel Moto 2 – Christophe Pourcel
RC Hard Charger Award
Glen Helen – Josh Grant (+22) Hangtown – Andrew Short (+24) Thunder Valley – Fredrik Noren (+21) High Point – Shane Sewell & Zack Williams (+14) Muddy Creek – Josh Grant (+29) Red Bud – Fredrick Noren & Joey Savatgy (+21) Budds Creek – Dean Wilson (+21) Spring Creek – Jason Anderson (+25) Washougal – Tevin Tapia (+18) Unadilla – Cade Clason & Luke Renzland (+17) |
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MX Sports Pro Racing MX Sports Pro Racing manages and produces the world’s most prestigious professional motocross series – the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. The industry leader in off road power sport event production and management, its mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing organizes events for thousands of action sports athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators. Visitwww.mxsportsproracing.com.
Alli Sports Alli Sports is a media, event and branded content company that specializes in action, adventure, and adrenaline based sports. Alli Properties include the Dew Tour, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, the Red Bull Signature Series and World of Adventure Sports presented by Go Pro. Alli Sports is a division of the NBC Sports Group. More information can be found at www.Allisports.com.
AMA Pro Racing AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.
Lucas Oil Products Based in Corona, Calif., Lucas Oil Products, Inc is the world leader of High Performance Lubricants and Problem Solving Additives and produces and markets 272 unique formulations in thirty four countries around the globe and is growing country by country, market by market every year. Through innovative product research and development, along with progressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil Products has established itself as the top-selling additive line in the American truck-stop industry. Lucas Oil is involved in an array of motorsports sponsorships, including the “Official Motor Oil of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.” Visit: www.lucasoil.com.
MAVTV MAVTV is a television network with its roots deep in the automotive world. With an unparalleled line-up of motorsports events and exclusive automotive reality shows, MAVTV is the answer for motor-heads from all walks of life. But MAVTV is much more than a motorsports destination, with original action/adventure programming, live MMA and an unbelievable library of blockbuster movies – MAVTV is a network the whole family can enjoy. A network by the people and for the people, made in America and American Real. Visit: www.mavtv.com. |
(Lucas Oil Pro Motocross PR)
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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